


Somebody Loves You

by in48frames



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: 3x01, Alternate Ending, Gen, Olicity Mention, Sara is alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 20:16:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2481041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in48frames/pseuds/in48frames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After saying goodnight to her sister, Sara crosses the city on rooftop and descends the fire escape to the landing outside Felicity’s living room window.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somebody Loves You

After saying goodnight to her sister, Sara crosses the city on rooftop and descends the fire escape to the landing outside Felicity’s living room window. Crouching down, she peers into the dimly lit room, spying the warm yellow spill of light coming from Felicity’s bedroom door. She reaches out, digging her fingertips under the edge of the window that never _quite_ closes all the way and easing the pane up and out of the way without a sound.

She manoeuvres herself over the sill and drops to the floor, turning to slide the window closed again and punch the disarm code into the alarm panel on the wall. The buttons beep and she winces, looking over her shoulder to check for any change in the light coming from Felicity’s room. There’s no movement, and she wonders absently if Felicity has already gone to sleep.

Slipping off her wig and mask, she lays them down on the couch before bending over to unzip her boots and leave them by the window. In her socks, she jogs lightly down the hall, pausing at the partially-open door and peeking through the gap to see Felicity’s bed rumpled but empty. She reaches out and presses her fingertips to the door, letting it swing easily open and reveal Felicity—poised to attack with a lamp held high over her head.

She starts to lunge, just tipping up on her toes, when recognition and shock streak across her face. “Sara!” Her arms fall, the lamp dropping to waist-height, and she starts to take a step forward. “Oh my god, Sara!” She only manages half a step before looking down at the lamp in her hands with consternation. She turns quickly to replace the lamp on her bedside table before rushing back to hug Sara.

Rocking slightly back but refusing to let someone so small knock her off her feet, Sara wraps her arms around Felicity in kind and squeezes.

“What are you doing here? When did you get back? Have you seen anyone else? I mean, of course you have, you wouldn’t come to me first, but are you here for a bad reason or a good reason? It’s a bad reason, right?”

Sara listens, amused, as Felicity rambles over her shoulder before finally stepping back to look in Sara’s eyes. Most of those questions don’t have an answer, or not one she can share with Felicity, but she knows that Felicity knows and doesn’t expect much in reply. All she ends up saying is, “Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow,” before looking over at the bed again and taking in the blanket nest, pint of ice cream with a soup spoon sticking out of it, and Felicity’s ‘fun’ tablet. “What’s going on?”

“That will require a second spoon,” Felicity says, giving her a significant look. She turns to rummage in her dresser, pulling out a pair of pyjamas and handing them over to Sara with a wink, before walking out of the room.

As quickly as she can, Sara changes out of the constricting leather and into Felicity’s soft and sweet-smelling PJs, sighing with relief as her skin makes contact with the air. She rolls her shoulders, stretching out her back and neck as she steps over to the bed and climbs up to sit cross-legged on one side of the blanket nest. She picks up the tablet, curious to see what Felicity is watching, and finds an episode of _Friends_ on pause. Clicking the lock button, she sets it aside and pokes at the ice cream with the spoon.

Felicity returns and joins her on the bed, sitting across the ice cream from her and handing her the new spoon. She pulls her own spoon out of the pint and offers the tub to Sara as she brings the spoon to her mouth and eats what’s on it.

After Sara gets a spoonful of her own and starts nibbling at it, Felicity says, “So. It’s about Oliver.”

Sara nods. “Okay.”

“If it’s too weird—” Felicity starts, but Sara waves her free hand and shakes her head.

“Don’t be silly. We’re grownups.”

Felicity tips her head, staring at the ice cream as she attacks it with her spoon, and Sara pauses.

“Aren’t we?”

“Maybe _you_ are,” she says a little petulantly, and Sara reaches out to touch her hand.

“Tell me.”

She tips her head the other way, lifting her spoon and holding it up in the air. “It started okay.” She stuffs the ice cream in her mouth and mumbles around it, “He asked me on a date.”

“Oh!” Sara tries not to get excited or hopeful, since this is the _start_ of the story. She presses her lips together and nods for Felicity to continue.

“Then...” She waves her spoon back and forth, swallowing the last of her mouthful. “The restaurant exploded.”

Of course. That makes perfect sense. “Oh no.”

“Neither of us was hurt, but. I distracted him, or something. He wasn’t focused, it was his fault... blah blah. So that’s over.”

Sara doesn’t know what to say. She was there, she remembers how that felt, but her and Oliver... it was different. It wasn’t like what he has (had?) with Felicity. While she can empathize with the pain and frustration—and boy can she—there’s no advice or wisdom she can offer.

Instead, she pushes up on her knees and leans across to wrap her arms around Felicity again. She holds her tight, and when she sits back again, she says, “I’m sorry. I know he has his reasons, and I _know_ that doesn’t make it easier.” She hesitates, watching Felicity droop across from her, a despondent look on her face, and asks gently, “What are you going to do?”

“Well, I _was_ doing a great job of drowning my sorrows in comedy and ice cream. Other than that... move on, I guess?” Her gaze is aimed somewhere in the vicinity of Sara’s stomach, unfocused, and Sara reaches out again, laying her hand on Felicity’s.

“I can’t say I’m always gonna be here... but I wish I could, for what it’s worth.”

Felicity looks up, meeting Sara’s eyes and smiling genuinely, and turns her hand to squeeze Sara’s. “Thanks.”

“Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for some comic therapy.”

Her eyes light up, but she shifts uncertainly. “You can stay?”

_Can, yes; ‘should’ is less certain._ “Of course. Well, for a few hours.” She’ll have to get moving again before sunrise, but for now she picks up the carton of ice cream as Felicity grabs her tablet, and they move up to sit with their backs against the headboard. Felicity shakes out her comforter and drapes it over their laps, propping the tablet up on her knees and pressing play. They pass the ice cream back and forth until the last of the drippy remains are consumed, after which Felicity sets it aside and Sara reaches for her hand. With their hands linked between them, Felicity shuffles down until she can rest her head on Sara’s shoulder, and that’s where she falls asleep one and a half episodes later.

When the currently playing episode ends, Sara clicks off the tablet and puts it out of the way, and allows herself a minute to lay her head on top of Felicity’s and trace the knuckles of the hand she’s holding. Felicity’s friendship is precious to her, even if she never does feel worthy of it. Maybe if she could be there for Felicity like she deserves, actually contribute something, she would be more able to accept it. But Felicity never did have conditions like that; those only came from Sara’s guilt.

She understands Oliver; they’re the same; but she hoped for better things for him. Still does.

Before she can end up falling asleep herself, Sara slips out from under Felicity and tries to arrange her in a comfortable position in the bed, carefully removing her crooked glasses and setting them on the bedside table. Padding out to the kitchen, she finds Felicity’s grocery pad on the fridge and carries it and a pen to the counter next to the sink. She uncaps the pen and taps it on the page, trying to think of the right words.

Eventually, she writes in looping cursive,

_Felicity,_   
_Be angry, but forgive._   
_Be strong, but be soft._   
_Love yourself first._   
_In short, be everything I never was._   
_Love you,_   
_S._

Then she sticks the pad back on the refrigerator, changes into her costume, and takes to the sky.


End file.
